fromeurope

Since they started paying for teaching (a change in effect for Fall's incoming graduate class), it seems like NYU is going to outstrip Columbia's funding. Both schools offer fellowships of about 23,000, and though Columbia will fund a 6th year, NYU allows you to "bank" the earnings from one year of teaching to fund a sixth year. (But you don't get the money back if you finish your dissertation in the fifth year and are ready to go on the job market then). However, the NYU teaching money will come only in the later years, so the first two years of study will be at the same 23,000 as Columbia. I think the total teaching load is four semesters spread out over the 3rd to 5th years. The 22k is the total amount possible to earn for four semesters taught over those 3 years, so it seems doubtful that there would be one year approaching total funding of 50k. Some years teaching it might only raise your funds by $5,500, but it is still a pretty good deal. And it's nice to be paid for teaching rather than simply be doing required "service."

I hadn't heard about the possibility of summer funding. The faculty and students I spoke with left me with the impression that summers would likely remain unfunded. But getting by on 23k in NYC must be possible, because so many students do it - right?

n e 1 want to spill the beans on irvine? waitlisted....

Yes, same with Vanderbilt, you have no teaching responsibilities until you complete the MA (which is usually after the first year), then you're getting your stipend "in exchange" for teaching.
Regarding the TAships at Vanderbilt: Basically you design and teach your own literature class, which although it includes a writing component it isn't just a "Freshman Comp" course. You have the freedom to design your own syllabus and incorporate whatever researcn interests you are currently pursuing (all of course under the guidance of a faculty mentor). TAShip courses at Vanderbilt also have enrollment capped at 12 students which seems nice given the workload difference between having 12 students and having say 25-30 students. Basically she stressed that rather than being "cheap labor" for the English department the entire TAShip structure is designed to be of benefit to US -- and while I do know that these sorts of teaching opportunities can present themselves later in other programs it seems that this is the case at Vanderbilt from day one of teaching responsibilities.
And maybe other programs are like this, but the DGS said it was something fairly "unique to their program" that they were quite proud of, so I just believed her!

With the benefit of hindsight, this is what I would do, were I to apply again (thankfully, not necessary!)

a) apply only to schools you want to attend, and do research to be sure

I realized (too late) that 40% of my apps were to schools that didn't really care for anyway. This situation could have been easily avoided, saving me both money (well, probably not money...) and hassle, as well as giving me a better chance of going somewhere I want to go.

regardless of stats, do not only look to top-this-or-that schools; play the entire field

I applied, basically, to top 20 programs this year, and I basically consider myself very lucky that it worked out. If I were to do it again, I would have shopped around more and not be as fixated on the rankings -- whatever those mean.

c) leave no stone unturned

I know that quant is not that important for us, but I really regret not putting at least some effort into it -- I focused on the verbal and got a good score there, but with not so much work I could easily have added 100-150 points to GRE total through the quant. This is one of the things that annoy me the most about my application cycle. I could have done it, but I didn't. Stupid.

d) know what you want to do

I've been asked by adcoms what general era I want to focus on -- yes, it's true, it wasn't clear from my SOP. The reason was, of course, that I wasn't sure myself. But I should have been. Things may change, of course, but at least for the application cycle, try to present a focused interest.

e) don't freak out about the GREs

High scores are all well and fine, but unless you tank completely, just work on the other parts of your application package! Were I to apply again, I would not retake the GREs -- that's my opinion at least, but c) applies.

f) if at all possible, try to find a mentor from the "inside"

They're invaluable.


But I don't know that much -- you should check this out, I think: http://community.livejournal.com/wgi_lounge_2010/31395.html and keep an eye out for circumfession's upcoming post on re-applying.

With the benefit of hindsight, this is what I would do, were I to apply again (thankfully, not necessary!)

a) apply only to schools you want to attend, and do research to be sure

I realized (too late) that 40% of my apps were to schools that didn't really care for anyway. This situation could have been easily avoided, saving me both money (well, probably not money...) and hassle, as well as giving me a better chance of going somewhere I want to go.

regardless of stats, do not only look to top-this-or-that schools; play the entire field

I applied, basically, to top 20 programs this year, and I basically consider myself very lucky that it worked out. If I were to do it again, I would have shopped around more and not be as fixated on the rankings -- whatever those mean.

c) leave no stone unturned

I know that quant is not that important for us, but I really regret not putting at least some effort into it -- I focused on the verbal and got a good score there, but with not so much work I could easily have added 100-150 points to GRE total through the quant. This is one of the things that annoy me the most about my application cycle. I could have done it, but I didn't. Stupid.

d) know what you want to do

I've been asked by adcoms what general era I want to focus on -- yes, it's true, it wasn't clear from my SOP. The reason was, of course, that I wasn't sure myself. But I should have been. Things may change, of course, but at least for the application cycle, try to present a focused interest.

e) don't freak out about the GREs

High scores are all well and fine, but unless you tank completely, just work on the other parts of your application package! Were I to apply again, I would not retake the GREs -- that's my opinion at least, but c) applies.

f) if at all possible, try to find a mentor from the "inside"

They're invaluable.


But I don't know that much -- you should check this out, I think: http://community.livejournal.com/wgi_lounge_2010/31395.html and keep an eye out for circumfession's upcoming post on re-applying.

jrk

If you couldnt care less if I think you're stupid, why did you implore me in your previous post not to call you stupid.
You are not only stupid, but inconsistent & incoherent.

I hate you.

Also, you're stupid

I was admitted to the English Ph.D. program and I've had a chance to visit the campus and department, so I thought I would give a run-down for those who have been admitted.

From a financial perspective, everyone at Rutgers (in the English department, anyway) gets the same funding, which is quite generous and is absolutely on par with anything you'd see at the Ivies. (I hear Johns Hopkins is giving about 18K a year, which is several thousand less than you'll see at Rutgers. Suckers!) The health insurance is cheap and solid, and the TA jobs are very well protected by the face-breaking union (you talkin' to me?), which means that annual raises are the norm. The campus has great gyms and free clinics and there's counseling available for when you start to go crazy.

I found the reception that the school extended to me to be delightful (even stunning). A couple schools I've been accepted to sent me an admission email, then nothing else at all. Rutgers, though, sent me a whole chorus of emails from faculty members offering their advice and assistance, giving me their cell numbers, etc., and the administrative staff in the English department could not be more competent and caring. I get the clear impression that the department is filled with really lovely people with a strong and nurturing sense of camaraderie. The graduate students I've had a chance to speak with seem very happy with the program, their stipends, the faculty, etc., and seem to be able to live fairly comfortably on their stipends.

New Brunswick, sadly, is nothing to write home about. Most of the graduate students seem to live in Highland Park, across the river from the College Avenue campus. It's a very residential area, but it's peaceful and quaint. There's a Stop and Shop supermarket nearby, a few ethnic restaurants, and a new bookstore has opened. It seems like quite a pleasant place to live. One-bedroom units tend to run about $900 - $1250 per month, while individual rooms in houses or apartments go from $500 to about $850. With walking and the campus bus system, a car is not necessary at all, but it would make grocery shopping a lot easier and would open up cheaper parts of Central Jersey to your housing search. It seems pretty clear, though, that most first-year grad students choose Highland Park as their place of residence.

I'll admit that Rutgers' location and rowdy New Jersey undergraduate population was doing a lot to turn me off, but the simple truth is that, regardless of what the town has to offer, you're not likely to have time to partake. Moreover, most of the grad students described the undergrads as "kind" and "thoughtful" and "charming," so that's nice. The grad students in particular seem really smart and interesting, and there's no shortage of young people around. Rutgers has a long reputation of getting fantastic speakers (Adrienne Rich was just there), but sadly the grad students themselves apparently don't always have time to go. So the truth is that there's tons of stuff going on, and you won't have time for any of it.

The train to NYC takes 45 minutes or an hour and costs about $17 round-trip. The New Brunswick train station is very convenient to the College Avenue campus. The train drops you at Penn Station, which is always nice, as NYC's entire homeless population has chosen to maintain a winter residence there.

Rutgers' library facilities have generally been described as adequate; one professor mentioned never having been unable to find something there, but for those looking to do hard-core archival work, you may have to travel to Princeton or the NY Public. Rutgers maintains a consortium with those schools (and Penn, Columbia, NYU, CUNY), so you can use their libraries and take classes with them. The general consensus is that the library (which is not the most attractive building in the world, but is perfectly modern and clean and decently equipped) will absolutely get the job done for 95% of what you need, but that Rutgers would likely rank a bit higher if it were able to offer its students more obscure archival collections. One way or the other, between RU's material and the wealth of stuff located in a one-hour radius of the campus, you will almost certainly have everything you could ever ask for in the way of library material.

I'd really love to see admitted grad students use this forum to get organized for the big move in the fall. It would be great if we could help each other out in finding places to live and figuring out how to get this done. There are plenty of resources offered by the University (and individual departments are particularly helpful), but getting a head start right here wouldn't hurt, either.

My honest, objective impression is that those of us who have won admission here are really very lucky; the school seems to be a true gem for graduate students.

Dear Med-

I find your assessment to be quite sound and accurate. I am not offended in the slightest by any of your comments. It is completely my own honesty that wrote the original post with my diagnosis included. I am seeing all perspectives and not at all ruling out any one's point of view. However, as you know there are many people who do suffer with anxiety and I am not ashamed to admit that I do. I understand your point was to not give a diagnosis and I did not get that by reading any of your comments. I appreciate your empathy and inputs thus far and for understanding that not all brains are wired the same way. I do indeed have extreme test anxiety which does indeed cause havoc for an adult with ADD and I was diagnosed much later, so I don't have the records dating back to childhood that ETS is requiring that I submit to them. Having said that, I do have proof this has been a continuous issue for me dating back since I could remember.

This is my first time posting anything up on this forum and so, my intention was to not use my diagnosis as any crutch or something to hide behind. I think you understand this and I appreciate your professional/personal opinions. And I have done everything on my part to work around it and push forward by studying probably longer than anyone I know. I've studied daily, every day for months and again- this is without the distraction of needing to work (because I am currently writing at home full time) and not having kids. So, as I reflect upon all of this- really, it has nothing to do with how much I understand or study or press on or evaluate myself. Some brains are just wired differently- as I am gathering is your point and I completely agree with you. I have taken into consideration tips for studying from other people. I have considered doing more practice tests at home, working on time management and have even worked on all of this with my tutor who specializes in not just GRE, but time management and study skills techniques. So, I did work with the best when it comes to this test and I did everything instructed of me and I still ran out of time on one section and still got struck with extreme anxiety regardless of all my preparations.

As I stated in response to another post- I did take the test home and gave myself extra time. When I did this- I scored 1100. But, when I was timed and under the pressure of the actual test and clock- I scored a 710 total. I have done this several times. Taking the test at home and then comparing it to 2 occasions in which I took the test and scored much lower than the times I felt the least amount of pressure because I gave myself more time. There are people out there (like my sister) who can go in under any circumstance, regardless of how stressful the situation, no matter how short of a time given, and regardless if there is distraction (noise or otherwise) and score extremely high. She is just that way and have been since she was a child. I have always been the opposite. So, all I can do is practice these tests under short time frames. I have a stop watch that I started to use and I have been timing myself so that I can try and answer the questions in a shorter amount of time. I am equally still trying to get the extra time on the test and not ruling trying to receive that extra time. Nonetheless, I am indeed looking at my weaknesses and evaluating myself as others have suggested. I am trying to see where and how I can improve.

So, everyone here is correct in their own way. There is no wrong answer. And I do thank everyone for responding and being helpful. It was never my intention to try and use a diagnosis as an excuse, nor was it ever my intention to stir up problems here. My intention was to simply get help and like I have said- this is my very first time ever posting anything on this site. Perhaps, I shot myself in the foot by being overtly honest in my original post. But, I really have nothing to lose. All I can do is ask for help and feedback and be prepared for all responses- favorable or unfavorable. There is a little bit of truth in almost anything that anyone says, so I search for it and try to learn. That is all we can do is continue to learn and get back up and try again. Failure is the only excuse I will not give myself. Failure is only one step away from success and that is one thing I will not do is give up.

Thanks!!!!

Dear Honest Friend,

I see your reasoning. I agree with you that I ought to look at time management and other weaknesses to indeed understand everything from all perspectives. I did exactly what you suggested in your above statement actually. I took the test at home giving myself a little more time (not an infinite amount of time, but more time nonetheless), and I scored around 1,100. When I did take the test the second time (at the Pro Metric Testing site) and ran out of time in one section. Though this second time, it was only one section that I ran out of time and not all areas (as this occurred the first time). So, overall I got a 710 and that is total and with more time at home, I got a 1100- which is a huge difference. But, I do see what you are saying and I am acknowledging all perspectives, truly.

Thank you- that's great to know. I will still try for the extended time and do my best with studying. I have evaluated myself and will try to work on the time issue, as I have been and do more practice tests and etc. Though, overall it goes beyond simple time management as you noticed about your daughter. There are just some brains out there that work differently than others and that is okay. None of us are the same and so I'll just work on it as I have been doing and keep trying. Thanks for the input on the paper test. It's good to know.

It's okay- I'm laughing with you too. I do have a sense of humor as well. No offense taken. But, I'm gonna try again and simply give it a shot. There are many people that take the GRE more than 3-4 times and even 5 times.